Find out how popular the last name Farrish is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Farrish.

Farrish, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Farrish surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farrish in America

Farrish is the 20529th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farrish surname appeared 1,292 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Farrish.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farrish to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Farrish

The surname Farrish has its origins in England, traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "feor" meaning far, and "risc" meaning a rush or reed, possibly referring to someone living near a distant area overgrown with rushes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a Richard Feerish. The Farrish spelling variation can be seen in the Feet of Fines records for Surrey in 1455, where a John Farrish is mentioned.

The name appears to have been concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly Hampshire and Sussex. There are references to a hamlet called Farrish Green in Hampshire, which may have influenced the surname's development.

Notable early bearers of the name include Thomas Farrish, born circa 1580 in Petersfield, Hampshire, whose will was recorded in 1642. Another early record is of Robert Farrish, born around 1610 in Midhurst, Sussex, who was listed in the Protestation Returns of 1641/42.

During the 17th century, the surname spread to other parts of England, with records showing a William Farrish born in 1629 in Gloucestershire, and a John Farrish born in 1648 in Lincolnshire.

As the centuries progressed, the Farrish name continued to be found across England, with various spellings such as Farish, Farresh, and Farridge appearing in records. A notable individual was Sir Henry Farish, a successful merchant and Member of Parliament for Salisbury, who lived from 1723 to 1795.

Another prominent figure was Sir William Farish, born in 1881 in Wimbledon, London, who served as a British diplomat and was knighted in 1920 for his services to the Foreign Office.

While the Farrish surname has roots in England dating back to the medieval period, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farrish

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Farrish.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Farrish was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Farrish has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Farrish was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Farrish, please contact us.

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